Christmas Day

Happy Christmas everyone...old school 70's style!

Thanks, Play-doh

Remember your old school Play-doh days? The strangely and deliciously stinky cans of multi-colored clay that you squished and squashed and molded into myriad shapes, then left to dry and get crusty and break off into pieces that would get in the carpet and make your mom fuss at you? I've moved on from my Play-doh days, but it turns out I learned a valuable skill.

I made gnocchi!! If being a carb addict is wrong, I don't wanna be right. I love anything starchy or doughy - chicken and dumplings, potstickers, pierogies. Homestyle noodles, spaetzle, tortellini. Tater tots, even. Heck, I'd eat a whole loaf of sourdough one toasted buttery slice at a time. OK, maybe two at a time. Anyway...although I am smitten with all these things, I am not particularly experienced at making any of them from scratch. Enter potato gnocchi!

Earlier this week, I braised a pork shoulder with mushrooms, onions and tomatoes and wanted a good starchy side to soak up all the yummy gravy. I wasn't feeling pasta and didn't have any polenta, but I did have russet potatoes, eggs and flour. So I gave gnocchi a whirl, and it turned out surprisingly well. With guidance from a few online recipes, I baked a few potatoes, peeled off the skin, ran them through the ricer and let the fluffy potatoes cool. Then I blended in some all-purpose flour and an egg yolk, rolled the resulting dough into long skinny ropes (Play-doh style), cut them into little dumplings and rolled them against the tines of a fork to produce the requisite ridges.

You don't want to add too much flour or work the dough too much or the gnocchi will be heavy and tough. I think I was nervous about that, so I went the other way and maybe didn't add quite enough flour. They turned out nice and light, but after I cooked them in the water and tossed them with butter in a hot pan, some of them fell apart a little bit. But with some cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan, they tasted just fine...definitely worth another try. Inexpensive, fun to make, and way tastier than Play-doh.

Speedy Monday

I really do love to cook things that take all day, I really, really do...it's one of my favorite ways to spend a Sunday. But this ain't Sunday. I was hungry, it was getting late, and I had other things to do (online Christmas shopping, anyone?). Sear a piece of tuna - a touch over-seared in this case, I'm afraid - the picture looks a bit more like pork tenderloin, doesn't it? Chop up some avocado. Drizzle it all with sesame shiitake vinaigrette. Full disclosure - I used Annie's. Yes, I could have made my own vinaigrette, but I didn't...so let's move on. Throw some cilantro on top, and you have dinner. Dinner that tastes way better than the time it took to make it would suggest. Onto shopping!

Monday breakfast: chunky peanut butter swirled into brown rice grits with some greek yogurt on top is a whole lot of creamy yummy goodness. Have a good week!

My Latest Thing

Chicken. I know, right? Kinda boring to be my latest thing. And I'm not really sure why I'm so into it right now. Maybe I can describe it in chicken vs. egg terms (and I'm sorry to bring up our new Whole Foods again, but I just can't help myself). Is the chicken at the WF really of such superior quality that it tastes that much better? Or am I so inspired and motivated by all that the new WF has to offer that I am experimenting more with cuts I am less accustomed to using? Probably some of both, I suppose. All I know is that in the past couple of weeks, I have a new crush on skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts, and on chicken thighs, with skin and bone or not. Both cuts are so much more flavorful and juicy than generic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and I'm quite sure it's not due to anything special I have done in the preparation. I've seasoned each cut pretty basically - salt, pepper, and a generic all-purpose spice blend - and either seared in the cast-iron and finished in the oven (for the breasts) or cooked through on the stovetop (for the thighs). I then proceed to light into the finished chicken without bothering with any sides, with maybe just a dollop of dijon for dipping. And that's dinner. Seems as though boring can be surprisingly tasty.

Sweet Potato

I love happy kitchen experiments! I broke out the cast iron pan this morning to whip up a big batch of my candied pecans - pecans, butter, brown sugar, chili powder, salt - and once that was all tossed together and in the oven, I had a cast iron pan still slicked with the butter, sugar and chili powder. It was time for breakfast and I didn't feel like cleaning out the pan and starting over, so I cubed up some russet potato and threw it in the hot pan, sugar and all. Now, I may have sprinkled chili powder on crunchy potatoes before, but the brown sugar was a new spin...and I think I might really like it. There wasn't enough sugar still in the pan to add more than a subtle sweetness, but I liked what sweetness there was enough to give this a whirl another time adding a bit more sugar on purpose, instead of relying on what was left in a dirty pan. Laziness has yummy results sometimes, I think I'll stick with it!

Brown Food

You know how they say that to have a healthy diet, you should eat all the colors of the rainbow? Well, tonight's dinner will allow me to check the brown wedge off the color wheel. Inspired by a recipe in Emeril's 20-40-60 book, I made a risotto with chicken thighs and mushrooms, using some balsamic vinegar and red wine instead of the more typical white wine step. The balsamic certainly added a tangy sweetness, and although the butter I added at the end cut it a bit, it still seemed a little sharp...so maybe a touch less vinegar next time? Also, because I have lazy tendencies, I sauteed seasoned whole chicken thighs in butter and olive oil instead of cutting them into bite sized pieces and incorporating into the rice and vegetables, then just piled the chicken on top of the risotto. Not sure how the flavors might have changed if I had followed directions more closely, but that's just not how I get down. And come to think of it, is the color brown even in a rainbow?

Lame

Protein bar for dinner makes for non-scintillating blog post. No picture necessary, it won't make it any cooler. Hope your evening meal was more noteworthy.

Most Important Meal of the Day

Brown rice grits! Who knew? I needed a new breakfast option to get me started after my post-vacation hiatus, and while fruit and yogurt and protein bars are appropriate choices for sunny Florida, us Oklahoma girls need something a little more warm and cozy when waking up to a 19 degree morning. I'm not much of a cold cereal eater, but during the colder months, I do love a hot one. Oatmeal is fine, but I tend towards the Cream of Malt o' Wheat Meal types. Enter my new favorite...brown rice grits! I discovered them at my most recent visit to my happy place (the Whole Foods), and they have definitely earned a place in my winter morning rotation. Throw a fried egg on top, with some butter and hot sauce (which anyone who likes buffalo wings knows goes together perfectly)...and I just might have the energy and motivation to bundle up and leave my house. Or to climb back under the covers for a nap.

Vacay

Stick a fork in me. Five days of theme parks...three at Disney, two at Universal. Harry Potter, Spiderman, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Goofy, Daffy Duck, Millificent (she was creepy witch cool), Captain America, Buckbeak the Hippogriff, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Hulk. If I made a list of the top ten ideal vacations I could take, this one might not have cracked it (save Hogwarts, probably). But as a testament to open-mindedness and to a theory my friend Stacey calls "putting your cruise ship face on", I had way more fun than I ever thought I would have and wouldn't have missed it for anything. More stories to come later, I'm sure...but for now, it's late, I have a crazy early pick-up for the airport, and frankly, I'm just tired. Moral of the story: be open to new locations and experiences that might not be an obvious choice for you, always keep your cruise ship face on, and whatever you do, do not misplace your express pass for the rides.

The Wizarding World of, you know...That Guy

"We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Yeah, my letter must have gotten lost in the mail. Or maybe the owl got lost, or eaten by a rabid coyote. Whatever happened, I might be bitter about it.

Thankful in the Magic Kingdom

Pumpkin cake. Sounds simple, right? Well maybe, but I can't be sure...I am at the mercy of the kindness of the chef at the Liberty Tree Tavern at Disney World to enlighten me as to the simplicity factor. Now, don't you think for a Thanksgiving second that I didn't try to find out. Our exceedingly cheerful waiter Mo from Morocco (LOVE how Disney employs staff, I mean "cast members", from all over the world) was patient enough with me to ask the chef for a recipe, then bring me an index card on which I was to write my e-mail address so it could be sent to me. (As an aside: Yes, I do realize the ridiculousness of asking a chef for his or her recipe for anything, and the compounding ridiculousness of asking for said recipe during Thanksgiving service at Disney World. I wouldn't normally behave in such a gauche manner, but that should illustrate my schmoopy feelings towards such a "simple" dessert) OK, back to the story...

I was writing my info and a grateful note to the chef and...huh?? You say that sending out the little index card was just a ploy to make me go away and not become a pumpkin cake stalker for the rest of the day? Hmm. 'Spose I might have been a tad overzealous. And what's so weird about it is that I have barely a smidge of a sweet tooth. Desserts are fine but I rarely order them, I just don't care all that much. I'd rather have cheese. Or more wine. But after a great Thanksgiving meal, I took one obligatory bite of the rustic-cast-iron-pan-looking pumpkin cake with vanilla bean ice cream (little black flecks of vanilla bean...check) and proceeded to dive right smack back into the family-style serving FOUR times! Or was it five? Six? Surely not. You know how when you bake cornbread in a cast iron pan, it has that crunchy crusty edge all around the outside? Yeah, so did this, but it was CAKE. And I swear I got a chunk of real, non-canned pumpkin in it...if I didn't, don't be a fun hater - just let me keep thinking I did. Anyway, if I get a recipe and permission, I will share it so you can experience the crunchy crusty custardy deliciousness for yourself. In the meantime, be thankful. For your family. For your friends. For anything delicious you had today and for being lucky enough to have it. I'm more thankful than I can say for all these things...and for an unexpected simple dessert.

Orlando

Epcot. Disney without all the princesses. Just one really sexy belly dancer. (How does she get her stomach to do that?) Snacks around the world. BBQ pork buns, vegetable egg rolls, strawberry oolong slushes, bratwurst with sauerkraut and pilsner, fish and chips with malt vinegar, french brie and baguette, ham and swiss tartine, creme brulee, lemon tart, english toffee, a chocolate and caramel covered marshmallow on a stick, and a peanut butter cup with a chocolate Mickey on top. Mind you, all of this was eaten by my entire family, not me personally. I just had a salad.

Fat Squirrels

Nope, this isn't some strangely abstract concept for pumpkin-carving. I learned last year that there wasn't much use in decorating my deck with an assortment of autumnal gourds, seeing as how the critters in my 'hood think they are so gosh darn tasty. This time around, I waited until after Halloween to get a cheap pumpkin so I could see if the furry rascals were as greedy this year. After this summer's garden tomato fiasco, I should have known.

Early Christmas

Very few things make me happier than a 20 pound box of new food books arriving in the mail on a windy Saturday afternoon. I guess we know how I'll be spending the evening. Good thing I have lots of leftovers, or maybe more popcorn!

Late-Night-Watching-The-Television-Set Snack

Well, hey there. What's up, interweb people? (and a shout-out to my long lost friend, Punkin, for borrowing his word "interweb") I've got lots of food stuff (foodstuffs?) to talk about, but don't really know where to start. My sentimental attachment to Fritos? The red curry pork rinds that Chef made for us recently? Or, for goodness sake, the story behind this blog title? Yeah, I'll get to all that...but for now, it's late, I've got a full DVR and I need a snack. Cooking is fantastic, but sometimes assembling is good, too. So make some popcorn - pop it yourself or use the microwave variety - throw it in a bowl with some Cheez-Its (or Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, or whatever version of cheesy crackers you like), and get this...toss it all with a big drizzle of truffle oil! Some people, and I don't want to know these people, think truffle oil is overused, but I think truffle oil makes just about anything taste better. Kind of like melted cheese or sausage cream gravy. So go crazy. Add some salt, some chopped herbs, some grated Parmesan, whatever you like...it's hard to mess up. I have a pretty picture of my concoction, but until I transfer my pictures from my camera to my computer, you can't see it. That can be a project for this weekend. Sounds like I'll need another snack.

Next day update!! Found the right cords for the camera, so we are ready to roll! I feel so accomplished now, I better have some lunch.

Dear Poodle....

Hurry up and finish beautifying this puppy so I can get to cooking and communing with my peeps...Momma's hongry!!